There’s been a discussion floating around out there for a while that the structure of the NBA playoffs should be changed in order to prevent tanking. One of the ones getting traction lately is a play-in tournament for seeds 7 through 10, and Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James is not here for it.
A couple of months ago, Zach Lowe of ESPN reported that the league was considering a situation in which the seventh and eight seeds in each conference play against each other, and the winner gets the seventh spot in the playoffs. The ninth and 10 seeds would play each other, and the winner of the game plays the loser of the 7-8 matchup to decide who gets the final playoff spot.
When asked about having a play-in tournament in general, James did not exactly jump and down for joy at the idea, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“No, no, no,” James said Wednesday. “That’s wack. That’s wack. Why? You got to earn your spot to be in the postseason. No consolation for finishing last. That’s corny. That’s corny. That’s wack. To play for what? What are they playing for?”
When it was explained to James exactly what those last four seeds would play for, he again balked at the proposal.
“[Make the playoffs by winning the tournament], even if my record is better than yours? Nah, that’s wack,” James said.
The thing is, the league doesn’t seem to think it’s that “wack,” and many around the NBA have voiced at least some support for a system like this. The argument is it would reduce the number of teams losing on purpose near the end of the season — particularly those in the ninth and 10th spots — and it would drive more interest in the league.
With the win-or-go-home style of the NCAA tournament and the NFL playoffs, it feels like something similar in the NBA could work. But if something like a play-in tournament were implemented, it would greatly mess with history. There are arguments on both sides for this idea, and time will tell which idea ends up being implemented if any do at all.